A growing problem in this country is the increasing traffic congestion in large metropolitan areas. This problem has lead to traffic congestion in and around large metropolitan areas. Current approaches to monitoring of traffic conditions require either a significant amount of man power or expensive equipment.
One method of traffic monitoring uses visual sightings to gather information on traffic conditions. The visual sightings are accomplished by human monitors on the roadside or in probe vehicles traveling with traffic. Individuals observe traffic conditions at their location and pass this information on to some central reporting authority. The visual sighting method may also utilize aircraft, satellites, or remote video cameras to observe traffic conditions. This method of information gathering has two draw backs. First, the use of mechanical observation devices requires a significant investment in equipment to the information gathering service. Also, a human observer is still required to observe the traffic from an aircraft or to interpret the visual signals of the traffic transmitted by a camera or satellite.
A second technique for monitoring traffic uses sensors installed in, on or near roadways. Monitoring devices of this type include magnetic sensors placed within a roadway, infrared radiation sensors, or radar sensors. These types of sensors require a considerable amount of equipment to be installed along the roadways to be monitored. The purchase and installation of this type of equipment can comprise significant cost to the traffic monitoring service. Furthermore, expensive communications apparatus must be installed for transmitting data from the sensors to a central traffic planner or route controller. Thus, a need has arisen for a system that monitors traffic conditions without requiring substantial investments of man power and equipment.